SILEX, Mo. – The Silex R-1 School District is excited to announce Christopher Gray as the new high school principal for the 2020-2021 school year.

Gray takes over the position vacated by Rod Hamlett, who will be stepping into the superintendent position, on July 1. Hamlett has served as high school principal since 2017.

“We are very pleased to have Mr. Gray joining our administrative team. He brings a lot of experience which will be extremely valuable to our district,” said Board President Ben Henke.

Gray joins the Silex R-1 family with 22 years of experience. He started his career in the Lewis County C-1 School District in Ewing as a social studies teacher before moving to the Troy R-III District in the same role.

After two years in the classroom, he added the title of department chair. He eventually joined the administrative team at Troy Buchanan High School as an assistant principal before moving to Troy South Middle School as an assistant principal and athletic director. He is currently an assistant principal at Mexico High School.

"We are very fortunate to be adding Mr. Gray to our district. Through the years, Mr. Gray has shown himself to be an administrator who has always put students first. I have no doubt that he will be a great asset to our school and our community as we continue to make Silex a great place for our students,” Hamlett remarked. “We will be holding a ‘Meet the Principal Night’ on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. to introduce Mr. Gray to the community,” Hamlett added.

Gray received his undergraduate degree in political science from Loyola University Chicago. He went on to earn a Masters Degree in Administration from William Woods University and a Specialist Degree in superintendency from Missouri Baptist University.

“I’m honored to be chosen as the next principal of Silex Middle and High School. As a long-time resident of Lincoln County, I am well aware of the outstanding reputation of the Silex R-1 School District,” he noted.

“Throughout the interview process, I was blown away by the character and attention to detail shown by the Board of Education, the Faculty Committee and Mr. Hamlett. I cannot wait to start serving the Silex Community and continuing the tradition of quality education at the Best Small School in the State of Missouri,” Gray concluded.